Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-04-19
JUSTIFlING THE MEASURE.
TWO APPEALS TO THE INTERSTATE
COMMERCE COMMISSION


| body OF meu in the United States at this
present time. 1t is bureau of useful in
| formation regarding the railway problems
which have sprung up in front of the new
! law, and its tables groan with appeals for in
| struction and relief from all parts of the
| country
Monday the commission made public a
! document which they state is the most i'm
portant yet issued by them bearing upon GER
| tain clauses OF the Interstate law. The doc
ument, while generally applicable, is in re-
ply to petitions Of the Order of Railway
| Conductors and the Traders and Tray
ers' union These associations ask: Are
railway companies prohibited from issuing
| free transportation to the immediate families
Of employees OF their own railways; from isSu-
ing free or railway transportation TO Off
GERS OF associations composed exclusively OF
railway employees, while those officers are
| temporarily out of railway service, aud ex-
ciusively employed by those associations;
may railway companies issue passes to en-
| ployes of other railways on the application
| of the employe, or must such application
come from an officer of the company bv
which he is employed, may railway COM
panles ISSUE free or reduced transportation
| TO those VINO make rail service their bust
| Gess or trade while temporarily out OF employ
| ment and Ia search of situations; may rail-
way companies provide free transportation
for delegates to the annual Sonventions of
an association composed exclusively of rail-
way employees, including those who may BE-
| temporarily out of empl ,yment, as we'll as
members of the immediate families of dele
gates.
| The application on behalf of the Traders
and Trave,ers' union states the system under
which an additional allowance Of free bag
gage has been heretofore carried by com
mercIal travellers. subject TO written agree
ment for registry and decentralization, which
| system the commission is requested to ex-
| anime carefully, and advise us If there Is
| any reason now why railroad company de-
/ string To do 50 should not enter into sach an
arrangement to grant under STAGED terms an
increased allowance of free baggage"
| In answer TO the above the commission
| says:
| careful reading Of the act TO regulate
commerce, Under which this Commission is
| organized, VIII sho" that no Jurisdiction has
| been given us 10 answer questions like tLose
under consideration Ii IS obvious that ap-
| plcatlOns iike those of the railroad conductors
and the Traders and Travellers union have no
relation Whatever Ia the duties lmplSe upoa
us by section / Ani this Is the only section
| OF the law which tue commission ans power
TO suspend Or relax
Section Is autnorIz9s complaints to the
| commission and conlers jurisdiction to enter
| tam the same Ii provides that any Cerson
| etc, complaining of anything done or
oinltted T. be done by any common carrier
| subject to the provisions of this act, IN con-
| trsventlnn Of the provisions til .raof may ap-
| ply to said commission by PETITION, which
| shall briefly state the facts
But neither the railway conductors nor
| iTaiiers and Travellers union complain that
| any common carrier has violated the law
On the contrary they both aver that the
railway companies do not now violate the
law and do not wish To do So II d railroad
| company should ISSUE pass to conductor
and his family TO attend the aTp o4ching
convention, or should transport 800 pounds
of baggage free for a commercial traveller
under the registry and indemnity system,
| AMI some person, feeling aggrieve1, should
make complaint of Just discrimination il
| would then be proper Tor the commission to
| entertain the question Of whether such
| conduct was or WAS not in violation Of the
law and if so whether it was or was not
within the exceptions stated in section y
Complaints may also be presented if the
charges made BY the carriers are not con-
sidered reasonable and just.
Congress has not taken the management
OF the railroads out of the hands of the rail
road companies 1t has simply established
certain general principles under which inter
state commerce must be CONDUCTED
| There is nothing novel in tine provisions Of
the act. They simply bring back the bust
| hess OF common carriers to the well settled
| principles of The common law. Yet none
can deny that there was urgent heel of their
statutory formulation. Alleged difficulties
I'D putting them IN operation only disclose
examples of TIE extent TO which they have
been violated in the past
Good faith, exhibited in an honest effort to
| carry out the requirements of The law, Will
involve reasonable and fair-Tniniea officials
| LII no danger Of damages Or fines. The elias
| ITCHY Of the statute in their favor is noticaa-
| bic Throughout the act, as it now stands
| IN confesse.iiy experimental form, there is
| exhibited an obvious ana generous purpose
| to ailcw to the corporations ample Srnpe III
| the conduct of their business as common car
| Tler for the people and fair consideration If
every reasonable claim, while insisting upon
| Just, impartial, open and consistent rates of
charge, to when every citizen shall be sub
/ Ject alike, whose situation is the same Sarely
the people could nos ask for less
The language and tenor of the act wholly
| AalA " tNAAiF ihA- sfdl ul1ii44tIS II huN SlEl
| there be, who refuse TO accept responsible
| ties, decline to offer rates neglect to an
| nounca ucnd' ions of traffic, embarrass the
| customary interchange Of business and im-
| pose stagnatiou upon trade, while they stick
IN the barK7 4 the phrases and expressions
| Of the law, inventlnE doubts Bnd imagining
| dangers. Il is still more un iustlfiabla for
1 railway companies 10 make use OF the gen
erai CLAUSES OF the law, Ignoring, modifying
and auarrInp words and formulas in 1rF3sT
to impose additional burdens upon localities
trades, professions manufacturers. couSuun-
ers, classes q travellers or employees: strain
ng and REFRESHING every construction in
favor Of the corporate treasury. and quoting
| the new law Is their authority for ali man
ner of patty exactiOns. The powers of the
commission are entirely adequate TO cope
with such conduct, the existence Of which Is
not affirmed, although it mas been somewhat
publicly suggested. The same statute which
enacts 1nat charges for like services shal, be
uniform TO all, also provides that charges in
every case, and for every kind and class Of
service. shall be reasonable and just. As the
law is practically applied it is seen to contain
many elements Of advantage to the economi-
cal and profitable management Of the bust
ness of the carriers, which they have not
been SLOW to apprehend and take the benefit
Of
The Commission ventures to express the
nope that with this explanation respecting
the mutual functions nf the carriers and the
commissioners in carrying the law into eff
feet according 20 its true intent and meaning,
there will be no lack Of good faith and active
cooperation in continuing the normal activ-
lfy q: every kind of reputable industry and
traffic Throughout lie land under favorable
fair, and reasonable terms, copceding frankly
to the p'or.le all the rights, benefits, advan-
tages, and eGnai privileges which the Act to
rulate commerce. was Inten led 20 secure
Bishop knicksrbocker, of Iniianap lis,
has written to the commission inquiring as
to the right Of railroads to transport mis-
sionaries at reduced rates. The commission
replied that 1t had no jurisdiction, but con-
ciudes: There Is no doubt of the right Of
the railroads to grant spaciaI privileges to
ieilgiouS teachers, aud III deciding in good
faith what they will do, they can scarcely be
sad to incur risk Of penalties. Penalties are
for wilful violations of law, not for errors of
| judgmentn
In the matter of the applicatiop of the